THE HEIRESS, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE & More Set for Theatre Group at SBCC's 2014-15 Season

The Theatre Group at SBCC will begin the 2014-2015 season with the black comedy, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE by Joseph Kesselring, directed by Katie Laris, July 11-26, 2014 in the Garvin Theatre. Abby and Martha are two charming old ladies with a deadly habit of sharing their arsenic and "just a pinch" of cyanide-laced elderberry wine with all their lonely gentlemen callers. When their nephew Mortimer, a drama critic on the eve of his engagement, finds the body of one of their victims, he soon discovers that his whole family is insane. Between one brother's belief that he is Teddy Roosevelt, another on the lam from an international crime spree and his two homicidal aunts, Mortimer is forced to put his marriage plans on hold indefinitely, until he can restore some degree of sanity into the household.

Next in the fall, October 17-November 1, 2014 in the Garvin Theatre, will be the classic play, THE HEIRESS by Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz, directed by Katie Laris.

A timeless New York story of society, status and the true cost of love, THE HEIRESS is the story of Catherine Sloper, a shy and awkward woman whose mother died in childbirth and whose father is a prominent and wealthy New York doctor. Caught between the demands of her emotionally distant father and her passionate young suitor, Catherine must navigate the terrain of love and regret, desire and duty, a chance for happiness and the double-edged sword of a large family fortune. Suggested by Henry James' novel Washington Square, this play, produced in five separate productions on Broadway, has deeply affected audiences since it was first presented.

In the spring, March 6-21, 2015, we will present the comedy, LIGHT UP THE SKY by Moss Hart, directed by R. Michael Gros. Written by a master of the American comedy, Moss Hart, Light up the Sky is an outstanding hit of the Broadway theatre, a gorgeously amusing comedy about show folks caught in the midst of a new production. The play takes place in a hotel room prior to the opening of a new show and follows a truck-driver-turned-playwright watching his first play being produced in Boston. This backstage comedy features the grandly temperamental leading lady; her sarcastic, gin rummy playing mother; the egomaniacal director; the lowbrow producer; and his ice-skating, wisecracking wife. As the opening approaches, tempers mount and only a miracle seems likely to save a play that seems destined to flop spectacularly.

Following in the Jurkowitz Theatre will be the new play, DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Katie Laris, April 17-May 2, 2015. An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man-with a lot of loose ends. So begins Dead Man's Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative new comedy by Pulitzer Prize finalist, Sarah Ruhl. Ruhl's quirky heroine Jean embarks on a mission carrying a stranger's cell phone as her guide determined to make things right and along the way discovers friendship, despair and a new romance.

Our student showcase production will be the new play TEN RED KINGS by Mark Rigney, directed by R. Michael Gros. One year into college and still grieving over the sudden death of her sister, Margot Cates plans to spend every waking minute of summer vacation honing her skills at World of Warcraft. But before she can even log on, Margot finds herself unwillingly whisked away to a wilderness camp for online gaming addicts. Cut off from technology, the campers and counselors wrestle with personal demons both online and off. A contemporary play built on contemporary concerns. It will run November 12-22, 2014 in the Jurkowitz Theatre.

Season tickets range from $52-76 for four plays and can be purchased by calling the Garvin Theatre Box Office at 965-5935. Single tickets will go on sale in the middle of June.